“Rebranded, and with greater embedded digital expertise, Marketing Sciences grew both revenue and headline PBIT,” Elgie said. “ICM however, experienced a shortfall in revenue against management’s expectations during the fourth quarter of the year as a result of a shortfall in new business and a decline in some client activity, which produced a drag on performance for the division as a whole.”

That shortfall led to a cost-saving restructure which saw ICM Group’s Justin Sampson axed as chairman, along with other redundancies, a review of ICM’s data collection processes, reflecting the switch in demand away from telephone based interviewing to online and mobile techniques, and a reduction in property and infrastructure costs through “co-location”.

Elgie said the Insight division is now united under a single head – Marketing Sciences MD Keith Bates – with Andrew Wiseman as MD of ICM. Sampson, meanwhile, has since taken the top job at TV ratings body Barb.

As a group, and including its communications and healthcare marketing businesses, Creston’s full-year revenue was up 11% to £74.9m. Headline PBIT was down marginally at £10.4m.

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